Valve Releases New Steam Controller Picture

Valve has already made it clear that the touchscreen present on the first Steam controller was not going to be sticking around. In January, at the Steam Dev Days conference, Valve teased the new controller and told everyone that the touchscreen would be removed so that a regular button layout could take its place.

Although many of the details were provided two months ago, a rendering of the actual controller has now been released.

With the new design and layout, the only major difference between the Steam controller and the Xbox or PlayStation controllers are the touch-sensitive trackpads. The two trackpads replace the raised analog sticks that have historically been used on game controllers.

Not only is the touchscreen gone but Valve has also opted for the diamond layout in regards to its A B X Y buttons. These buttons are found to the right of the D-pad and both appear under the trackpads.

Many of the early developers and users had complained about the touchscreen as they never saw a use for it. So, removing it from the Steam controller makes sense. However, it is somewhat surprising that a vast majority of the controller’s layout has been altered to make it function in a similar way to the controllers for other game consoles.

In some ways it does make sense that Steam would choose a more traditional layout considering that it will make for an easier transition. The controller layouts present on the Xbox and PlayStation controllers have remained relatively stable over the years so allowing people to pick up the Steam controller and have things feel familiar is far from a bad idea.

Next week we should get a full look at the new controller during the Game Developers Conference.

In case you missed it, here is Valve’s Steam controller update from January in which the decision to alter the layout and design is discussed.

Summary: Valve has released a picture of its new Steam controller. The touchscreen has been removed and the buttons are now in a more traditional layout. Valve will show off the new controller during next week’s Game Developers Conference.